


Hey baby, I wanna know, if you'll be my girl

by AnEarpCreampuff



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Dirty Dancing/Modern Dirty Dancing, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Humor, M/M, Romance, Slow Burn, Some Depictions of Homophobia, Underage Drinking, Wayhaught - Freeform, mild depictions of violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2019-10-06
Packaged: 2020-09-25 05:49:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20371717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnEarpCreampuff/pseuds/AnEarpCreampuff
Summary: Waverly Earp and her family are going on one last summer getaway to a resort in upstate New York before she heads off to college in the fall. She's ready to have the best summer of her life with her sister and best friend by her side, but becomes uneasy when the town the resort is located in, seems to be a little stuck in the 60's. Her luck turns around, however, when she gets to resort and realizes that not everything is as it seems. While there, she meets Nicole, the resorts best dance instructor and suddenly her world is turned upside down. When Nicole's dance partner suffer's an unforeseen injury, she enlists Waverly as her new dance partner and the two soon begin to realize there's more to their connection then just dancing.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> PSA: This first chapter is not relevant to the main plot of this fiction. This chapter is merely here to help the reader set the tone, image and overall background of the story. The next chapter will be slightly similar but will be more focused in the beginning and not throughout. The chapters after, will be more plot focused.
> 
> ***
> 
> Heyo! 
> 
> This is my first time writing any sort of fan-fiction so I'm really sorry if this royally sucks. Hopefully its not too bad but if it is, just try not to be too harsh. This is loosely based off the 1987 movie Dirty Dancing but is set is more modern times with our favorites. I'm going more out of the box than the movie and will be putting more of my own twist on it but the main story will be at the heart of it all. I'm writing this as I go so I don't know how consistent updates will be but I will do my very best. 
> 
> Huge thank you to my two lovely betas, nrcda88 & @sleepytimegrl for making sure my terrible English isn't so terrible and for making sure my story is going to come out in the best way possible. 
> 
> You can hit me up on Twitter @AnEarpCreampuff if you want. You can come yell at me, we can be friends, or you know, we can just have a totally random gif conversation, whatever pleases you.
> 
> Anyway, there's gonna be dirty dancing, romance, drama, heartache, love, pain, some funny moments and just a whole lot of Earp. I hope you will stick by me throughout it all and when we've reached the end, we all will have had the time of our lives!

This was Waverly's last family vacation before heading off to college and starting a new chapter in her life. This vacation was bittersweet for Waverly. She was excited about heading off to college and becoming an independent woman but she was also a little scared, nervous and anxious about leaving her hometown of Purgatory and living on her own. Even though she was going to a college in the big city near her hometown, it was still an hour drive one way. She knew it wouldn't be as bad as she imagined and that she could always go back home should anything happen. 

Reminding herself of this, she shook the thoughts of college and anxiety out of her head, and focused her attention on the adventure ahead of her. Waverly had been looking forward to this vacation for the last few months and she'd be damned if she let anything or anyone ruin this for her. 

Earlier in the year, her Uncle Curtis saw a brochure for a resort and hotel called Kellerman's, located in the Catskill Mountains of Upstate New York, while he was in town. When he got home, he couldn't wait to rush in and tell the family all about it. He described how beautiful it appeared to be and how the resort advertised that they had something there for all ages. Waverly's older sister Wynonna just shrugged and said it seemed lame but when Curtis told her "then you can just stay home", Wynonna was quick to change her tune. 

While Wynonna was sarcastic, cursed like a sailor, was rough around the edges and a bit of a wild child, she didn't want to be left out. She often acted like she didn't care, and never shied away from giving someone the middle finger if they had a problem with her. However, Waverly knew her sister well enough to know that, underneath the layers of her sister's sass and attitude, she cared. She knew Wynonna would never admit it but that was okay, because she knew. 

Their Aunt Gus, on the other hand, was a little hesitant about going. She told them she had to help Shorty run the bar and truth be told, Gus wasn't one for traveling. Uncle Curtis informed her that he had talked to Shorty after he found the brochure and Shorty told him he could “manage the bar alone for the summer” so they could take a vacation. Aunt Gus was visibly annoyed that he had done this, especially before he had talked to her about it. She persisted that she should stay behind and help Shorty, but after much convincing from everyone and Uncle Curtis telling her it wouldn't be a family vacation without her, she caved. 

The next day, all the arrangements for a family vacation were set and before Waverly knew it, summer was here and they were leaving Purgatory, driving across Canada to the United States of America. 

*** 

Waverly sat in the backseat of her family's vehicle next to Wynonna. She opted to bring a couple of books with her on the drive, as it was quite a distance between Purgatory and New York. While Waverly decided to read, Wynonna on the other hand, opted to go the typical millennial route, and play on her phone during their long trip. Uncle Curtis was driving and Aunt Gus was trying to help navigate them using the GPS on her phone. They weren't exactly savvy with technology, but Gus insisted that they use Google Maps for directions instead of what Curtis wanted to do, which was to use actual maps, like the old days. 

Every now and then, you would hear Uncle Curtis grumble or make some smartass comment to Gus about the GPS. She would just tell him to do his job and drive, and let her deal with “The Google”, as they called it. Waverly would often catch her uncle sneaking a glance at her aunt. He would just look at her with so much admiration. You could just tell by the way they interacted with each other that they had a real love between them. Waverly hoped that one day she would be lucky enough to find someone who looked at her the way her uncle would look at her Aunt Gus. Little did she know, this would be the summer that changed everything for her. 

  
***   
  
Waverly had gotten so caught up in reading her book, that when she put it down for a moment to look out the window and take in the scenery before her, she was shocked to see they were already passing the ‘Welcome to New York’ sign. Waverly had never traveled outside of Purgatory before, let alone Canada, so she was pleasantly surprised to see how beautiful and peaceful the state appeared to be as it was passing her by. She was just about to get back to reading, when her phone dinged. She picked it up and saw she had a new text message from Chrissy: 

Chrissy: “_ Omg Waverly! This place is so beautiful! You're gonna love it! _” 

Chrissy was Waverly's best friend. She was also from Purgatory and her father, Randy Nedley, happened to be the sheriff of their little town. After Curtis and Gus talked to Randy about their summer plans, he thought it would be a good idea to take Chrissy as well, so the girls could have one last summer together before going their separate ways to college. Plus, Randy hadn't been on a proper vacation since Purgatory's great chili debacle some odd years ago. 

Waverly was excited to have Chrissy on this vacation. While Waverly loved her sister, Wynonna’s plans, more times than not, got them into trouble. It frequently ended with Uncle Curtis and Aunt Gus giving Wynonna the speech about how, as the older sister, she's supposed to be setting a good example for Waverly. Occasionally it would end with them all yelling at one another and their bedroom doors slamming, but thankfully that wasn't often. Nevertheless, Waverly couldn't wait to have these adventures and make all the memories with both her sister, and her best friend. 

Waverly: “_ Yay! I can't wait! We're gonna have so much fun! _” 

Chrissy: “_ I can't wait either! They have so many activities her _ _ e. _ _ L _ _ ike it _ _ ’ _ _ s honestly ridiculous. _” 

Waverly: “_ Leave it to me! I _ _ ’ _ _ m a planner, after all! _” 

Waverly couldn't help but chuckle at what she knew was coming. She knew the moment Chrissy sent her that message, she was going to regret it. Anyone who knew Waverly, knew the girl liked to plan everything out, so finding out the resort had loads of activities was the “cherry on top” of Waverly’s summer plans. Learning this new information made her even more ecstatic to get there. She couldn’t wait to start making adjustments in their schedule, and to cram in as many activities as possible while they were there. A second later, Waverly's phone dinged and just as she thought, Chrissy realized what she had done: 

Chrissy: “_ Shit! I shouldn't have said anything. I'm going to regret this, aren't I? _” 

Waverly: “_ Yup. You’ve got no one to blame but yourself. _” 

Chrissy: “_ Just take it easy on me _ _ , _ _ Earp. This IS a vacation you know. I don't want to be so busy that we forget to actually have fun. _” 

Waverly: “_ Chrissy Nedley, my best friend in the whole world, are you saying I'm not fun?! _” 

Chrissy: “_ No, not _ _ at all _ _ . But _ _ I would like to be a little spontaneous on this trip too _.” 

With Waverly being a planner, spontaneity wasn't her forte. Of course, having Wynonna as a sister, Waverly had learned many years ago to accept and embrace being more spontaneous. However, that didn't mean she couldn't fight it or that she had to like it. 

Waverly: “_ Yeah, I know. You're starting to sound like my sister, just so you know. _” 

Chrissy: “_ Good. And I resent that! _” 

Waverly: “_ LOL. Good. That was the point! Anyway, I can't wait for C & W’s Summer Extravaganza to begin! _” 

Chrissy: “_ Me either! But do we have to call it that? Lol.” _

Waverly: “W_e needed a name for our summer adventures, and you couldn’t come up with anything, so yes, we’re calling it that__.__ lol.”_

Chrissy: “_ Damnit. Touche, Earp! _ _ Are you guys close _ _ yet _ _ ? _” 

Waverly: “_ We just passed the 'Welcome to New York _ _ ’ _ _ sign _ _ a bit ago. I would say another 45 minutes to an hour and we should be there. _” 

Chrissy: “_ Ugh. Hurry up already! _” 

Waverly: “_ Tell that to Uncle Curtis and Aunt Gus. _” 

Chrissy: “_ Yeah, no thanks. See you soon! Love you. _” 

Waverly: “_ Chicken! Love you too. _” 

Waverly put her phone down and looked over at her sister. Wynonna, in true Wynonna fashion, was playing some stupid game on her phone. It looked like it involved different varieties of doughnuts and alcohol. Waverly could barely see on her sister's game, her favorite kind of doughnut, vanilla dipped, and Wynonna's choice of liquor, whiskey. "Of course, Wynonna would love a game that involved those two things", Waverly thought to herself. After a moment of watching her sister match different kinds of doughnuts and alcohol, she went back to reading her book. She wanted to finish it before they got to Kellerman’s. 

***

Thirty minutes later, Waverly had finished her book. She gently stuffed it back in her bag and decided to spend the last bit of their ride on her phone, catching up on her social media accounts. She figured this would be one of her few opportunities to do so, because once they got to the resort, she wouldn't be on her phone much, let alone on social media. As soon as Waverly lifted up her head from putting her book away, she saw a wonderous scene. Waverly nudged Wynonna in the arm and her sister let out a noise, as she was a little startled by the touch. This caused Wynonna to make a wrong match on her game and she gave Waverly a small glare. Wynonna had spent the whole ride so glued to her phone that, she didn't even know they were New York, let alone close to the resort. However, when she saw her sister’s face, she promptly followed her gaze. Surrounded by the spectacular luscious green Catskill Mountains, the sign for the resort came into view: 

** _Kellerman's Mountain Resort and Hotel_ **  
**_15 miles_**

**_Pax Kellerman Welcomes you! _ **

Wynonna read the sign out loud and let out an enthusiastic and somewhat sarcastic "Woohoo". Sure, she was excited, but it was more so about the prospects of being able to get out of the car, rather than being at some dumb resort. Uncle Curtis insisted they drive straight through without stops, so everyone was relieved to see the sign, knowing they would all be able to get out of the car soon enough and finally stretch their aching limbs.   
  
Waverly and Wynonna looked out their windows and took in the sight before them, as they began the drive through the town of Windham to Kellerman’s Resort. The town gave off a feeling that was hard to describe. It felt similar to Purgatory but completely different at the same time. It was small, quiet, odd and quaint, and gave off the impression it was not exactly existing in the current era. Both sisters got an uneasy feeling as their family car made its way across town. 

“ Umm, Uncle Curtis? ” 

“ Yes, Wynonna? ” 

“ Don't cha think this town is a little TOO similar to home? ” Wynonna asked of her uncle, as she stared blankly out the window, looking at the strange, but oddly familiar town. 

“ It’s small like Purgatory but it can't be that bad. ” Aunt Gus, chimed in. 

“ Wait, are you telling us, that neither one of you googled this place when researching the resort? Which, I’m assuming you did before bringing us here? ” Waverly added, giving her aunt and uncle a curious look. 

“I did, actually. I even read a couple of reviews that were on The Google, you girls love so much.” Curtis retorted. 

  
  
“You guys do know it’s just called Google, right? Not, ‘The Google’?” Wynonna asked her aunt and uncle, while using air quotes with her fingers. Waverly just chuckled at her sister’s remark.   


“Yeah, well, The Google sounds much better.” Gus said; speaking for both her and Curtis. 

  
  
“Anyway, no one said much about the town. Nothing bad anyway...” Uncle Curtis said, pausing for a moment before finishing his sentence. “...that I saw.” 

Waverly and Wynonna both lunged forward in their seats, towards their aunt and uncle and went off. 

“ UNCLE CURTIS!! ” they both said in unison. Wynonna gave her uncle a slap to the side of his arm. 

“ Why would you bring us to some lame-o resort that doesn't say much about the shithole town it's in? ” Wynonna barked. 

“ Wynonna! Language! ” Aunt Gus promptly scolded her. Gus, was not a fan of Wynonna’s potty mouth, and always made sure to remind her niece of that any chance she got. 

“ Okay, but it can't be that bad? Could it? I mean, just because it's a small town, doesn't mean it's narrow minded, right? ” Waverly suggested, looking back and forth between her family members and the town ahead. “ Take Purgatory for example. ” 

“ Waves, name one small town, besides Purgatory, that is caught up with the times? ” 

“ Hmmm. Well there's.... wait, no. Okay, well how about.... no..... umm...fudgenuggets !” 

“ Exactly! ” Wynonna declared, as she pointed at her sister. She was rather impressed with herself that she managed to get one up on her sister. That was a rare accomplish for her, considering how smart Waverly was. Even though Wynonna would sometimes be envious of her baby sister, and the way her aunt and uncle seemed to favor the younger sister, she couldn’t help but be so damn proud of the young woman Waverly was becoming. She was gonna be the first Earp to go to college. This was something that made Wynonna’s heart swell with pride. 

Both Waverly and Wynonna sat back in their seats. They looked at each other for a beat, then outside for a second before turning their attention back on their aunt and uncle. 

“This place is gonna suck balls.” Wynonna quickly quipped. “ Can we just go home?” 

“ Yeah. ” Waverly said. “W e can still have a nice time back home. Purgatory Pride is right around the corner! Plus, I get the feeling Windham doesn’t accept outside r s very well.” 

“ I’d bet anything that, if this town saw a rainbow flag, they would douse it in Holy water. ” Wynonna said with absolute certainty. Waverly nodded in agreement with her sister. There was something about Wynonna’s statement though, that gave Waverly an indescribable feeling in the pit of her stomach. 

Aunt Gus was quick to burst the girls’ bubble. “Absolutely not. We paid for the whole summer to stay at the resort, and there are no refunds. We're getting our money’s worth!” 

They all sat quietly for a moment, before Aunt Gus broke the deafening quietness that was settling in the air around them. 

  
“And you both know that your uncle wanted to give you girls one last memorable summer before Waverly goes off to college. I’ll be damned if I let his efforts be wasted.” Aunt Gus spoke. You could tell by her tone of voice that, she was annoyed and hurt by the girls’ lack of consideration for their uncle and the work he put into planning this whole summer getaway for them. 

  
Waverly started to feel guilty upon hearing her aunt's words. She didn’t mean to come off as being unappreciative. She was very grateful for her uncle’s kind and generous gift of a summer getaway with her family. 

“I’m sorry, Uncle Curtis.” Waverly spoke softly. “Thank you for, well, everything.” She never spoke truer words to her uncle than in that moment. She meant them with every ounce of her soul. If it wasn’t for Curtis and Gus taking in her and Wynonna after their mama left and their daddy and eldest sister passed away, they probably wouldn’t have made it. And if they did, they wouldn’t be the Waverly and Wynonna everyone knows today. Their kindness towards them was something that Waverly would never be able to repay. That’s why it was so important to her that she worked her ass off in school, so that her aunt and uncle, at the very least, would be proud of her. 

She looked over at Wynonna with raised eyebrows, and gestured her head towards their aunt and uncle, before leaning forward and placing a small, gentle kiss on her uncle’s cheek. Wynonna rolled her eyes at her sister, but decided that she was better off following her sister’s suggestion, if she wanted to avoid getting an earful from her later. 

  
“Yeah. Sorry, Uncle Curtis, and thanks for everything.” Wynonna mumbled, with her arms crossed in front of her. She too, was appreciative of not just the gift from her uncle but of everything Curtis and Gus did for her. However, that didn’t mean she had to like this stupid town and their dumb resort.   


“ Apologies accepted , girls.” Curtis said with a smile on his face as he drove. He knew the girls didn’t mean to offend with their reactions. He remembers being young once, and how easy it can be to make assumptions about things before really knowing. Although, even he had to admit, the town gave him an uneasy feeling too.

They all sat in silence as they continued through Windham. All the buildings had been there for centuries it appeared. They didn't look old and worn down, quite the opposite actually. They were all stunning and looked like they had been remodeled in some way. Most were painted with light, pleasing colors, that made the ornate details of the buildings stand out. You could just tell, by the architecture of them, how old the structures actually were. The buildings bordered the car on both sides of the street. With leafy forest green trees, of all sizes, filling in the few gaps between some of them. There were huge Victorian styled lamp posts and stone planters, evenly spaced, stationed along the edge of the sidewalks. The planters had an abundant variety of flowers in them, which gave the town a nice aesthetically pleasing quality. 

  
A variety of shops and businesses composed the majority of the town, all of which seemed to be family owned. In the true cliché of small towns, it had one grocery store and five churches. You could see the townsfolk out and about, walking around, running errands and doing what seemed to be their daily routines. The town was definitely still old fashioned in some ways but to Waverly and her family’s surprise, not the whole town. Adorning some of the establishments, were rainbow flags, so you knew the whole town wasn’t stuck in what was deemed the 60's. They all looked at each other with a pleasant shock to see that just maybe, they prejudged the modest town. 

Waverly was quick to spot the town had a bookstore. It was one of the handful of places proudly sporting a rainbow flag by its front door. She made a note to herself in her phone; a reminder to come back to town and check out the bookstore before they went back home. She noticed a few people walking around glaring and scoffing at any of the businesses displaying their support of the LGBTQ+ community. This made that indescribable feeling she had, mere moments ago, come back. Except, this time, the feeling had anger mixed with it. She couldn’t quite put her finger on why seeing this made her as uneasy, and angry as it did. Sure, she was a huge ally for the community and had a lot of respect for the beautiful people that comprised it, but she couldn’t help but wonder if there was something more to her feelings. 

Purgatory had limited dating options, so Waverly didn’t have much experience in this area. She would get crushes on some of the boys in her hometown, but then they would say or do something stupid, and those feelings would quickly disappear. To her knowledge though, she never had a crush on a girl. So, she didn’t understand why this intangible feeling she was experiencing was so intense and profound. Before she allowed herself to sink into her thought on the matter, she just chalked it up to caring about all people and being a compassionate ally. While the town and its people may not be as progressive as the rest of the state, Waverly was happy to know that there were people in Windham who were assisting in bringing the town into the 21st century. 

Be that as it may, the resort was not directly located in town. It was a little ways past. They reached the edge of Windham and began to see a huge multi-story building come into view through the trees; Kellerman's Resort and Hotel. It had red tile roofing, and the outside of the resort was made up completely of stone. The yard stretching in front of the resort and hotel was dark green and vast. Waverly guessed it was probably the length of two or three football fields in length and width. From what Waverly could make out through the car window, Kellerman’s sat on a couple dozen acres of land, give or take a little.

To the right of Kellerman’s main premises, were a few dozen cabins scattered throughout the land. She presumed by the number of cabins and the people seeming to be coming and going from them, they were reserved for guests. She could spot some more cabins to the extreme far-left of the resort, tucked away behind trees and foliage, but there weren’t nearly as many and seemed relatively undisturbed. Considering their location, Waverly came to the conclusion those were more than likely used by the staff. 

  
  
Behind the resort, was a huge deep blue lake that never seemed to end. There was a water trampoline, boats, jet skis and a waterslide. There was a rope, attached to one of the neighboring trees, for people to swing off and jump into the deeper part of the lake. There were some different leveled cliffs further out that were connected to the lake and you could see the ant like figures of people, jumping from them and doing tricks. For being in such a modest town, Kellerman’s was rather elaborate. 

As they began to reach the front of the resort, they started to see just how many people were vacationing at Kellerman’s. Kids, teenagers, adults, and even some senior citizens composed the variety of people roaming the resort grounds. Waverly had never seen so many people gathered in one place at one time. There were people sunbathing by the lake, scattered around different parts of the yard, playing volleyball, Simon says, picnicking and just getting from one place to another. It was a wonderful sight to see in Waverly’s eyes. 

When they finally approached the front of the resort, Waverly and Wynonna looked at each other with their mouths slightly agape and then back to the amazement before them. They both squealed lightly in excitement. This was it; their kick-ass summer was about to begin. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for all the support thus far! I know I'm not the best writer by ANY stretch of means but it warms my heart to know you all are enjoying this. Sorry this chapter was a little late, I've just been working extra hard to make it as good as I can. Anyway, I appreciate you all and I really hope you guys enjoy this installment!
> 
> Huge thank you and lots of love to my stellar betas @sleepytimgrl & @nrcda88. Thank you for being patient with me and letting bounce my ridiculous ideas off you.

Waverly and Wynonna were the first ones out of the car. They both got out with a sigh of relief as they stretched their cramped muscles and limbs; bending forward, backwards, to one side, then the other, on their tippy toes and in every possible way. Waverly walked over to Wynonna’s side of the car and the two started walking closer to the building in front of them, while Uncle Curtis and Aunt Gus got out of the car and stretched themselves. 

"Ha, so much for it being a lame-o resort, right babygirl?" 

"Yeah, you could say that again." 

"So much for it being..." But before Wynonna could finish repeating herself, Waverly cut her off. 

"You are such a smartass." Waverly stated in a very ‘matter of fact’ tone, whispering the end of her remark as she didn't want to get an ear full from Aunt Gus about her language too. 

"I know, but you love me anyway." 

Waverly raised her eyebrow at her sister and gave her a mischievous smile. "Eh. It's debatable sometimes." 

"HEY!" Wynonna exclaimed, giving Waverly a playful shove. Waverly gasped and gave her a little shove in return, her eyes crinkling into half-moons as she smiled and chuckled. 

  
She was really happy that her and Wynonna’s relationship was finally at a strong and mostly healthy place. They hadn’t been very close growing up but all that changed over the last few years. Waverly never figured out what caused the shift in their relationship but she wasn’t about to question it. She really couldn’t remember a time where she wasn’t close to Wynonna. If she thought about it long enough, she could, but she’d rather not. It’s become a distant memory for her and that’s where she wants it to stay. The unfortunate thing is, all this made going away to college that much harder. 

As soon as they stopped to look around, Waverly took out her phone and sent Chrissy a quick message. 

"_ We're here!! You were right, this place is stunning! Once we get settled in our room, I'll text you so we can meet up. See you soon! Xoxo. _" 

Not a second later, Chrissy replied back. 

Chrissy: "_ Ahhh _ _ !! Okay! See you soon!! _" 

She smiled at her phone and shoved it back into the pocket of her jeans, turning her attention back to Wynonna. 

"You know, I'm gonna miss you when I leave." 

"I know. I'm pretty fucking awesome." Wynonna responded as she took in the environment, her eyes roaming all over, never landing on anything for more than a couple seconds. 

Waverly crossed her arms in front of her and just looked at Wynonna, trying not to let her emotions get the better of her. This was one of the few times that she really wanted her sister to be serious for a second. When Wynonna finally focused back on Waverly, she saw the hurt written all over her sister’s face. She quickly wrapped her arms around the younger girl and gave her a squeeze. 

"Hey, I'm gonna miss you too, Waves. Like, for real, for real." She said in Waverly’s ear as they hugged, sincerity dripping from her words. After a minute, she pulled away. "We have all the time in the world to be sad. When we get home, we’ll have a big sad party and you can make hats. Okay?” 

  
“Okay.” Waverly said as she tried to fight the knot forming in her throat as she held back tears. 

  
Wynonna rubbed her hands up and down Waverly’s arms as another way to help comfort her. “Right now, let's just focus on having the best fucking, kick-ass summer that anyone has ever had." 

They instantly hear Aunt Gus yell from the sidelines, "Wynonna! Language!" as her and Curtis were loading their bags onto a luggage cart. 

Wynonna rolled her eyes and hollered back, "Sorry, Aunt Gus!" trying to smooth it over before she got another lecture from her aunt. 

Waverly nodded and gave her sister a small smile. "You’re right.” Though she hated to admit it, Wynonna was right. They were about to have the best summer of their lives, now was not the time to be sad. They would have plenty of time for that later. 

Wynonna winked at her sister, before cupping her face and placing a kiss to her forehead. "I always am." Waverly playfully rolled her eyes and grabbed her sister’s arm as they headed back to their aunt and uncle, her heart feeling at ease again. 

*** 

Once all their luggage was loaded onto the cart, and the valet was driving off with car, the group quickly made their way inside Kellerman's. There was a bellhop who was there to assist them but Uncle Curtis was quick to let him know they didn't need it. Still, he followed, offering his help every now and then but Curtis continued to decline. 

"Uncle Curtis, why not just let the poor schmuck help?" 

"Because, Wynonna, we are capable of doing it ourselves." 

"Yeah, but that's why he's here. It’s sort of his job, you know." 

"Yes, but you know me. I prefer to do the work myself." 

Wynonna couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “Yeah, well, don’t forget this is a vacation, old man. You’re not supposed to work.” 

  
“Yes, ma’am.” He said, turning his head around and giving his niece a wink. 

  
“Gross.”

  
Everyone couldn’t help but laugh. Wynonna was far from proper and the one thing she hated more than anything was when someone called her ‘ma’am’. Her uncle knew this and would often call her that just to mess with her. That was their form of banter and Wynonna loved it. 

They walked up to the front desk, checked in and Uncle Curtis made sure all the arrangements for the summer were set to go. Everyone was surprised to find out they had been upgraded to one of resort’s lakeside cabins. When Uncle Curtis and Aunt Gus inquired as to why and if it was going to cost them extra, they found out the hotel owner was an old friend of Curtis’ from his younger days; Paxton Keller (who goes by Pax Kellerman now). The clerk told them along with their free room upgrade, he also upgraded their resort package and included some extra services like free valet, dry cleaning and some other accommodations at no extra cost. They thanked the woman, and Uncle Curtis asked her to please let him know when Pax was around so he could thank his old pal properly. The woman agreed and then pulled out a map of the resort and showed them which cabin was theirs. She turned around and grabbed four keys off the wall behind her and handed them to Curtis. 

  
To say the girls were excited about staying in a cabin by the lake, was an understatement. As soon as Curtis had hold of the keys, Wynonna snatched one and made a beeline for the side doors, towards where the cabins were located. Waverly grabbed one too, giving her uncle a kiss on the cheek and went after Wynonna. She trailed behind Wynonna for a moment before catching up with her and began inching her way ahead. They raced down the stoned pathway as fast as they could, grinning from ear to ear, each trying to outrun the other and narrowly avoiding people along the way. 

  
Occasionally you would hear Wynonna telling someone to move and Waverly apologizing as she tried to not collide with anyone. They both started laughing when Wynonna tripped over a loose pebble and almost fell nearly taking Waverly down with her. Considering it was somewhat far from the main building to their cabin, they were both out of breath when they finally reached their presumed humble abode; Waverly getting there a few seconds before Wynonna. 

  
Waverly wasn’t nearly as out of breath as Wynonna was, who honestly looked like she was going to keel over and die at any given second. When Wynonna came to a stop, she laid down in the grass, sweat dripping down her face and Waverly popped a squat next to her, neither one paying any notice to the cabin behind them. 

  
“How... are... you... not... dying?” Wynonna asked breathlessly with her arm thrown over her forehead. 

  
“Because I actually work out and consume more than just whiskey and doughnuts.” 

  
“Hey, I don’t JUST consume whiskey and doughnuts. I consume tacos too.” 

  
“True, but who doesn’t? Tacos are tasty.” 

  
Wynonna reached over with her other arm and patted Waverly’s knee. “Attagirl, angel-pants. Touche” 

  
“Thanks, bacon-doughnut.” Waverly said nudging Wynonna in the side with her shoe. Wynonna snickered and gave her sister a dimpled smile. 

After catching their breath for a moment, they both stood up and dusted themselves off. They were about to start making their way inside until they turned around and saw the cabin. 

The outside of it looked like all the others; simple, clean, and delightful. There were stairs connecting and leading up to the porch, which wrapped all the way around the structure. Instead of having wall lanterns mounted to the walls, the porch was embellished with beautiful hanging lights. There were flowers, plants, a bench swing, and a small table and chairs sat on different parts of the porch, giving it the ambiance of home. The difference between their cabin and the majority of the others was theirs had two stories. Only a handful of the cabins throughout Kellerman's were two stories, so the girls were flabbergasted to see they would be staying in one of them. 

"No FUCKING way!!" Wynonna exclaimed before throwing her hand over her mouth. 

"Way to go, Uncle Curtis!!” Waverly shouted throwing her arms up above her head. 

They walked briskly up the porch stairs, unlocked the front door and opened it. Inside was even more beautiful and stunning than the girls had anticipated. It was everything you expected of a cabin but so much more. The floorplan was open and spacious and there were plush, cozy rugs on the wooden floors. The interior decorations were simple and didn’t clash with the rest of the cabin. 

  
A huge beam with a hanging ceiling fan attached to the middle of it, stretched from one side of the room to the other, in order to help support the vaulted ceiling. There was a huge stone fireplace on the back wall of the living room and three leather couches sat in the middle, making a circle around a glass coffee table, enclosing the fireplace. 

  
To the immediate left were the stairs that led to the second floor and to the right was the master bedroom and bathroom. In the far back left corner of the living room by two of the windows, were a couple of leather armchairs. In between them was a corner table and lamp and up against the corner walls were two bookshelves filled all different kinds of reading material. In the bottom left corner was a powder room. 

  
The second floor wasn't very big. It held the second bedroom that had two beds, the second full bathroom, and a den. The den had lavish rugs, a leather couch, beanbag chairs, a pinball machine and a pool table. It was a pleasant space and would give the girls their own little world within the cabin. 

  
As they were scoping the place out and finding their favorite spots; Waverly's the book nook (so she dubbed it) and Wynonna’s the upstairs den, they heard Uncle Curtis and Aunt Gus calling from outside to come help them with the bags. They darted out the front door, down the stairs, to their aunt and uncle and helped them carry in the luggage. 

*** 

Immediately after getting unpacked and settled in, Waverly messaged Chrissy and they agreed to meet inside the resort’s main building so they could grab one of the activity schedules before they set off for the day. Waverly ran downstairs and told her aunt and uncle she was off to meet Chrissy but before they had a chance to respond she was out the front door and heading down the porch steps, with Wynonna in tow. 

  
Wynonna wasn’t about to stick around the cabin alone with Uncle Curtis and Aunt Gus so she opted to tag along with Waverly instead. She was probably going to split from Waverly and Chrissy once they got to their destination, but first, she also wanted to take a look at the resort’s activity schedule to see what they had going on. They walked side by side, talking aimlessly about whatever they saw on their stroll as they made their way down and up the path to the main building. 

  
Both girls had changed into shorts and short sleeve t-shirts before leaving. Waverly tied her shirt in the back so it showed off her midriff and Wynonna ripped sleeves off hers. Summer was here, and so that meant being in the best clothing possible to combat the heat. They also wore their bikinis underneath so they wouldn’t have to go back to the cabin and change should they decide to go swimming in the lake. 

Chrissy was already in the lobby waiting when the Earp sisters got there. When Waverly and Chrissy saw each other, they screamed at the top of their lungs and ran towards each other. They hugged, rocking back and forth, mumbling to each other about how happy they were to be there together. Even though they lived near each other, the last year of school kept the two girls more apart than usual. After they released one another, Waverly mentioned the cabin they were staying in and Chrissy told her, her and her dad were staying in a cabin too; though theirs was not nearly as extravagant but was still lovely. Turns out they were just a few cabins down from one another and that just made things even better. 

  
“Ugh, I’m so excited!” Waverly spoke, now holding her best friend’s hand. 

  
“Me too! This is going to be the best summer ever. Hey there, Wynonna!” Chrissy waved to the older sister. 

  
“Sup’, Chrissy. Where’s the sheriff?” 

  
“He’s playing golf, I think. Or napping. One of the two.” 

  
“Vacation Nedley, is a real hoot.” Wynonna said sarcastically with her eyebrows raised. The two had a complicated relationship and while, Wynonna always gave Nedley a hard time, she did respect him. He just could never know that, of course. 

  
“Oh yeah, he’s a real riot.” Chrissy chuckled back. “You should see him. He’s been wearing a Hawaiian shirt, shorts and sandals. It’s quite a sight.” 

  
“Do you have a picture and can you send it to me?” 

  
Both girls just looked at Wynonna with a curious and disturbed look on their faces. 

  
“What?! It would be too disturbing to see in person and plus, it wouldn’t hurt to have a free “get out of jail” card, if you know what I mean.” She said with a huge grin as she moved her eyebrows up and down. 

  
“We do and you’re not blackmailing Sheriff Nedley.” Waverly spit back. 

  
“Who said anything about blackmail? It’s just insurance should I ever need help getting out a sticky situation, that’s all." 

  
“Wynonna...” 

  
Wynonna threw her hands up in surrender. “Okay, fine. Whatever. Can we get on with it now?” 

  
*** 

  
After the girls spent a few more minutes catching up, they grabbed an itinerary, walked outside into the yard and started looking over it. They walked in close proximity, trying to decide what to do first, each girl grabbing it from another, pointing at what looked like the most fun. 

  
There was an activities coordinator walking the grounds reciting the list of current and upcoming activities happening into a megaphone. He was going through the list one by one: ping pong in the west arcade, softball in the east diamond, complimentary dance lessons in the gazebo, horseshoes on the south lawn, splish-splash water class down by the lake, still life art class, volleyball on the north lawn and lots more. He ended it with a joke “and for the old folks, we got sacks.” While it was a rather dull and half-witted joke, it still managed to make the girls chortle as they ambled along. Waverly took extra notice when the man mentioned the dance lessons. She was pretty sure at that precise moment she knew that’s what she wanted to do. 

  
They strolled for a bit longer and decided to sit down in the grass (Waverly sitting in the middle), in order to get a better look at the list of events so they could reach a conclusion on what to do. Waverly took out her phone and opened a calendar that had their color-coded vacation plans all scheduled out. She started to edit and make adjustments to it as she looked at the piece of paper she placed in her lap.   


Wynonna noticed her sister’s elaborate calendar set up and couldn’t resist the urge to say something. “You adorable psycho.” She muttered with a smile on her face as she leaned back on her arms.   


“I like to be organized. You know I’m a planner.” Waverly vocalized with a creeping blush on her face. She knew her sister was just giving her a hard time but she still couldn’t help but feel a little self-conscious about this minor quirk of hers.   


“Yeah, but, Waves...” Chrissy started to say as she snatched the phone out of Waverly’s hand causing her to pout and make a cute groaning sound. “...this is like borderline OCD.” She finished as she scrolled through her best friend’s phone   


Waverly snatched it back and continued with her task. “Yeah, well, it’s better than being a mess like Wynonna.”   


Wynonna had tilted her head up towards the sky and closed her eyes, basking in the sun. “A hot mess, thank you very much.” She responded never moving from her position. “Let’s just hope your scrapbooking habit doesn’t take a terrible turn.” Waverly smirked and light-heartedly elbowed her sister. 

*** 

  
Once Waverly was done making the changes, the three girls were off again. She had been persistent about wanting to take the complimentary dance lessons before they did anything else. Chrissy thought it would be fun but Wynonna remarked it as being “lame”. After considering ditching the younger girls, Wynonna decided to go anyway. For all she knew, the dance instructor might be hot and she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to witness Waverly and Chrissy make fools of themselves. 

  
On their trek to the gazebo, that was on the opposite side of the lake, they noticed that Kellerman’s had hike trails that went all throughout the forest located on the resort grounds. Waverly took out her phone and set a reminder to ask the front desk about taking a hiking excursion. After about 15 minutes of walking they started to see the wooden structure come into view. The gazebo stood partially over the water and was surrounded by trees on either side. Though it still offered a great view of the lake. Attached to it were strings of lights, that Waverly could only assume made this spot very beautiful at night as she imagined the twinkling lights bouncing off the water. 

  
Much to the girls’ surprise there were quite a few people interested in taking the free dance lesson. Wynonna just laughed and smiled at how silly and funny this was going to be. The dance instructor was a young woman, much to Wynonna’s disappointment. She was wearing a red dress and heels, had long, wavy brown hair, sun-kissed skin and a nice smile. She made everyone line up, began to play some instrumental Spanish music and step by step led the class through the merengue. 

  
“One, two, three, four! Stomp those grapes and stomp some more! One, two, three, four! Listen to the music! One, two, three, four! Move your caboose and shake it loose! One, two, three, four! Start the train. Whooooo!” 

  
Waverly and Chrissy tried their best to keep up with the woman as they bumped into other people, stepped on their feet and did the same to each other. Even though the girls were both cheerleaders in middle school, that didn’t help them when it came to dancing the merengue. Wynonna tried to do the dance for a minute and then gave up, choosing to sit on the gazebo railing instead. She cheered on Waverly and Chrissy but mostly laughed at their expense, especially when they collided or stepped on another person. At one point the instructor made everyone dance in two circles; guys composing the outer circle and the girls composing the inner circle. 

  
“Come on, Ladies! God wouldn’t have given you maracas, if he didn’t want you to shake them!!” She shouted while she shimmied around the gazebo. Wynonna locked eyes with Waverly, winked, and gave her own shimmy. Waverly just glared at her sister and how much she was enjoying this, until Wynonna’s shimmy almost made her fall off the banister and into the water. This nearly made Waverly burst out laughing. Instead she chortled and mouthed to her sister “That's what you get.” Wynonna squinted her eyes and gave a sarcastic “ha-ha” back, waving the younger girl off. 

  
The young sun-kissed woman paired up different people in the class and had them dance the steps together before the lesson was over. Afterwards, the girls went and hit up a few more activities before going their separate ways so they could all get washed up and ready for the resort’s big ‘First day of Summer’ bash. 

  
***   


The McCready/Earp family met Randy and Chrissy for dinner in the enclosed outdoor stone terrace attached to Kellerman’s main building. 

Tables lined both sides of the patio, leaving the middle area to serve as the walkway. There were small hanging chandeliers and plants alternating on either side and about five or six huge archways, that stood in for windows, overlooking the resorts landscape, composed the vast majority of the left patio wall. 

  
The group grabbed a table together by one of the archways and enjoyed their first meal in each other’s company. 

  
*** 

  
Following dinner, the group made their way to the huge summer party Kellerman’s was hosting in the main ballroom. The room was packed with people and everyone there was dressed in semi-casual attire. Aunt Gus, Uncle Curtis and Randy went off and got their own table, leaving the girls free to roam about. 

  
There was a stage in the back of the room with a band performing, tables and chairs off to the sides, and a huge dance floor in the middle. A couple of doors to the right side of the room made it easier for people to come and go as they pleased. An exquisite and massive chandelier hung from above and lit up about half of the room. Some small wall lights and flameless table candles aided in lighting up the rest. This gave the generous room a warm, inviting and intimate atmosphere. 

  
“This room is so damn huge. I swear I could get lost just by taking 5 steps in any direction.” Chrissy said. 

  
“We could fit all of Purgatory in here and then some.” Wynonna added. 

  
“It is quite beautiful though.” Waverly said, joining in. 

  
They all grabbed a drink from the table by the entrance and wondered the ballroom, looking for a table to sit at that wasn’t close to their families. They found a table towards the back of the room where some other young adults were sitting. 

  
“Hey, mind if we join you guys?” Wynonna asked of the people when the three girls approached the table. 

  
“Sure, thing.” Said a redhead girl and the rest of the group agreed. The girls sat down and the red-haired girl introduced the table. 

  
“I’m Mercedes Gardner. This is my younger sister Beth, Xavier Dolls but we just call him Dolls, Jeremy Chetri, Robin Jett, and Shae Pressman.” She said as she pointed to each one and they all said hi, waved and/or nodded. “We’re all here vacationing for the whole Summer, except for Robin. He works here. What about you three?” 

  
“Sup’ guys. I’m Wynonna Earp. This is my baby sister Waverly and her best friend Chrissy Nedley. We’re here vacationing for the whole Summer too.” Wynonna said introducing the group and the two younger girls said hi to everyone. 

  
“Earp? You mean, as in Wyatt Earp?” Jeremy the curly-haired boy asked. 

  
Waverly was quick to answer the boy. “Yup, that’s our great-great granddaddy.” 

  
“Very cool! That’s like finding out you’re related to Darth Vader!” 

  
“If you say so, bb-8.” Wynonna retorted. “Just don’t short circuit, okay?” 

  
Everyone laughed and Jeremy held up his hands. “Good one! But I make zero promises. Also, I think I’m more of a Jedi than a droid. Unless we’re talking...” 

  
But before Jeremy went any further, Chrissy interjected. “So, Robin, you work here? Chrissy asked of the taller boy. 

  
“That’s kinda cool.” Waverly said. 

  
“Shouldn’t you be working then? I mean, unless you want to get fired? Wynonna questioned “Hey, I’m all for it if you do.” She said raising her glass up and winking at the taller boy. 

  
Working wasn’t exactly Wynonna’s forte. She had worked at a couple different garages on and off, fixing motorcycles but they never stuck. Shorty offered her a job at the bar and with Aunt Gus on her tail about being an adult, she took Shorty up on the offer. Since all this happened before their trip, she’s to start her job when they get back. 

“Yeah, I do. I’m a hike instructor. I take people out on the trails through the woods and show them all the sights. It’s pretty cool.” Robin responded. “Also, no, I’m not trying to get fired. I’m off the clock cause its nighttime and well, you can’t exactly take people out on hikes in the pitch-black darkness. Not unless you want to possibly be mauled by bears.” He chuckled to Wynonna. 

  
“Gotcha, forest boy.” She said. 

  
“Please ignore my sister’s sarcastic, smartass mouth and attitude.” Waverly told Robin. “I think that’s really cool. I was going to ask the front desk tomorrow about taking a hiking excursion after I saw the trails today.” 

  
He laughed and waved it off. “No worries, it’s all good. And in that case, I’m your guy! Just set it up with the front desk or find me when I’m on the clock and I’d be happy to take you.” He smiled. 

  
“Awww, thank you! I’ll be sure to do one of those.” She smiled back. 

  
“Not to interrupt again, but what’s with the guy by the drinks? He keeps staring over here.” Chrissy wondered and everyone stopped what they were doing to look. 

“Oh. That’s Champ Hardy. Shae responded. He’s a waiter here.” 

“Shouldn’t he be then, I don’t know, waiter-ing?” Wynonna asked as she leaned on the table and sipped her drink. 

  
“Mr. Kellerman always hires a catering service for the big summer parties, so most of the staff gets the night off. Unless you’re one of the dancers or maids.” Robin said, looking over to where Champ was at. 

  
At that exact moment, Champ started heading towards the group with his eyes set on Waverly. He completely ignored everyone else and went straight to where the petite girl was sitting. 

  
“Hey there, Beautiful. I’m Champ Hardy. What’s your name?” He smiled, reaching out his hand offering Waverly a handshake. 

  
“Waverly. Waverly Earp.” She responded her face getting flushed as she extended her arm out to grab the boy’s hand. 

  
Before she was able to complete the action, he grabbed her hand, turned it over and placed a wet kiss on it. You could hear the sogginess dripping from the gesture and Wynonna made a gagging sound at what she just saw and heard, while everyone else looked completely grossed out. 

  
“Easy there, Champ.” Wynonna said popping the ‘p’ as she stood up and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. “That’s my baby sister’s hand you’re drooling over.” 

  
He scoffed, shrugging off Wynonna’s hand and dropping Waverly’s. “Well, maybe I’ll see you around, Waverly. Maybe when your sister isn’t around.” He said glaring at Wynonna before turning around and walking away. She met his glare with a fury in her eyes; a warning to stay the hell away from her sister. 

  
Just before he was out of everyone’s line of sight, he tuned his head and gave Waverly a wink. She began to blush though she wasn’t sure how to feel about what just happened. She was flattered that a guy took notice of her but out of all the boys at Kellerman’s, it had to be the one who seemed to have an attitude problem and who was already not getting along with her sister. “This is going to be a problem.” She thought to herself. 

  
“Champ, huh? More like chump.” Wynonna said sitting back down and taking another sip of her drink. 

“Yeah. He’s sort of the resort’s resident douchebag. He also has quite the reputation with the girls and not necessarily a good one.” Robin remarked. 

  
Wynonna looked Waverly dead straight in the eyes. “You better steer clear of him, Waverly. I mean it.” 

  
All Waverly could do was nod. She appreciated Wynonna being over protective but she wasn’t about to let her sister keep her from possibly having a summer fling with the boy. 

  
“Well, he’s gone now, so can we get back to having fun?” Mercedes questioned the group. The next second she pulled a flask out of her purse. "Let’s get this party started, shall we?” 

  
Everyone cheered and she poured the contents of the flask into everyone’s drink. They toasted to making new friends and having a great summer. 

  
*** 

  
The group spent the next hour drinking, talking, laughing, getting to know each other and forgetting all about their interaction with Champ. Beth and Shae got annoyed with the group and left together shortly after they started drinking. At some point, Wynonna, Mercedes and Dolls, paired up and went off together to do God knows what. They had the most to drink out of everyone there and with Wynonna, that could only mean trouble. This left Waverly, Chrissy, Jeremy and Robin. The group of four continued to bond and before you knew it, they were exchanging numbers, agreeing to hang out more this summer. 

  
Jeremy and Chrissy left the table to go grab some new drinks for everyone and see about getting some snacks for the table to help soak up alcohol. Waverly and Robin, stayed behind to hold their table and talk some more. She found out he was from Windham and how that helped get him the job at Kellerman’s. Being a local, he knew the forest better than anyone and with his father being a forest worker, he pretty much grew up in the woods. He also mentioned how progressive Mr. Kellerman was, for being from an older generation and that he often employed people of the LGBTQ+ community. 

  
Just then, the room lights dimmed and the music changed. The band started playing an upbeat Spanish song and the people that were dancing moved off to the sides as a spotlight appeared in the middle of the dance floor. Two dancers came waltzing in at full speed from the side doors and landed in the middle of the spotlight. Waverly stood up upon hearing all the commotion, abandoning the table and headed towards the crowd of people gathering on each side of the room; Robin followed right behind her. Waverly was quick to take advantage of a gap amongst the onlookers, that offered a good view of dance floor. When she got there, she was surprised to see both of the dancers were women. 

  
She instantly recognized the dancer wearing the long pink chiffon dress with lace accents. It was the dance instructor from earlier who gave the free merengue lesson in the gazebo. Even in heels, she was noticeably shorter compared to her partner. The other dancer was in a 50’s style black Spanish jacket and slacks with a white button up shirt. She was tall, lean, with short red hair and pale skin. She was breathtaking in Waverly’s eyes. She had a serious face but smiled only for a brief moment at her partner and Waverly swore she saw a dimple.   


*** 

  
The couple parted ways for a brief moment dancing in opposite directions before they circled back to each other. When they came together, they immediately locked eyes, secured their frame and began to dance the mambo. The redhead was leading the pair as she swept her partner across the dance floor effortlessly. Their bodies moved in perfect sync with one another, the taller woman guiding them one step forward and one step back. They opened their frame and danced side by side before grabbing hands and moving together in agreement again. She twirled the shorter woman around the dance floor and let her go. 

She went spinning across the room with ease and when she finally came to a stop, she made her way back to her partner. The other woman stood still as her partner danced around her, shaking her hips, and running her hands over her shoulders, down her back and around her waist. As soon as they were facing each other again, the woman in pink kicked up her leg and her partner ran her hand up the back of it and placed it on her shoulder. The brunette threw her upper body back and the redhead dragged her across the floor, her partner’s other foot never leaving the ground. 

  
They came to a stop and their faces were so close they could kiss. It looked like for a split they were going to but instead the taller woman brought her partner’s leg back down. She promptly turned her around by the waist, holding her, linking their hands and once again spinning her across the room. When the petite woman reached the other side of the room, she turned around, she ran back to her partner and leapt into her arms. The woman in black, caught her, spun her up, over and around her shoulders and let her fall just shy of touching the ground; her legs wrapped around her partner, her face and body pointing to the ground. She put her down and as the crowd began to applaud, they separated, walking in opposite directions. They each then grabbed an unsuspecting guest and began to dance with them. 

*** 

  
As the dance floor filled up with people once again, Waverly continued to be completely bewitched by the woman in the suit. During the entire routine, she hoped that no one noticed she never diverted her eyes from gazing upon the redhead. There was something about her that had Wavery utterly spellbound and whatever it was, it wasn’t going away any time soon. She wondered what it would feel like to dance with her; to be in her arms and be touched by her in the same manner her partner was. The thought caused something inside of Waverly to stir and made her shiver like a thousand ants were crawling all over her body. 

  
Just as they began to dance again, Waverly noticed the two women looked at each other, their eyes fixating on one another as if for a brief moment in time, they were the only ones in the room. Waverly couldn’t help but feel almost uncomfortable by this. It’s wasn’t the act or the fact it was two women that made her uneasy, it was as if she was bothered that the taller woman looked at anyone that way. 

  
“This is ridiculous. You don’t even know her. Damnit, Earp! Snap out it!” Waverly thought to herself. 

She watched as the woman danced with a younger girl, gliding her across the room, without much trouble. The girl must have said something funny, because all of sudden she gave a wide smile and chuckled lightly. This time Waverly saw that she had not one perfect dimple, but two. At the sight of her full smile, Waverly’s heart began racing and she got a warm feeling in the pit of her stomach. She was fairly certain that everyone was going to witness her heart go flying across the room as it was beating out of her chest. 

  
When the music came to a stop, everyone gave another round of applause and the two dancers made their exit through the doors they entered. The band resumed playing music and the rest of the crowd dispersed, everyone resuming the festivities. Waverly hadn’t even noticed that Robin had been standing behind her the whole time. It wasn’t until she turned and bumped into the boy that she realized. 

  
“Oh! Sorry! I didn’t even see you there.” Waverly laughed softly as she smiled at the boy. 

  
“It’s okay, with a performance like that, how can you pay attention to anything else, right?” He smiled back and gave her a wink. 

Waverly looked away, her face getting all red and flushed at Robin’s comment. Did he notice her staring intently at the redhead? Was she that obvious? Shit. 

  
“Seriously, all eyes were on them. I think a freight train could have barreled through here and no one would have batted an eye.” He laughed. 

  
Right as Waverly was going to question Robin on if he meant something more with his comment, Chrissy and Jeremy came waltzing over with drinks and snacks in hand. They were on their way back to the table when the dance started so they ended up watching from the other side of the room. 

  
When the group returned to their table, Chrissy, Robin and Jeremy, sipped on their drinks, ate snacks, and had an in-depth conversation about the performance. They went over every detail and commented on which parts were their favorite. Though they each liked certain parts more, they all agreed that the over-the-shoulder lift was one of the best parts. 

  
“You know how strong she must be to do that?” Jeremy exclaimed as he flexed his arms. 

  
“Her upper body strength has got to be incredible.” Chrissy said back. 

  
Robin agreed. “I’m sure it is! You gotta be rather strong to be a professional dancer.” 

Waverly sat in silence, her thoughts swimming with images of the pale woman in black. Who was she? And how could Waverly get to know her more? But before Waverly became completely consumed with her thoughts of the woman, Chrissy asked her a question and it quickly snapped her back to reality. 

  
“What did you think of it, Waves?” 

  
“Oh. It was um, really good. Yeah.” She responded as she gave a small smile, only lightly embarrassed that she was caught being completely zoned out. 

  
“It really was. I’m super curious how long it took her to learn that shoulder trick..” Jeremy said as he motioned round his shoulders with hands. 

  
“Right? I’d imagine awhile.” Chrissy added as she stuffed a chip in her mouth. 

  
“A LONG while.” Robin stated. “She was sporting bruises for weeks. A lot of them on her neck and chest.” 

  
Chrissy was quick to respond as she wiggled her eyebrows. “Or she was doing something else.” Robin and Jeremy both oohed as they chimed in with Chrissy and they all laughed. 

  
No, no, no. Absolutely not. That was the LAST thing Waverly needed to be thinking about. She did not need to be imaging the many different ways the tall woman got those bruises. Nor did she need to be thinking about being the one to leave one of those marks on her. Waverly swiftly changed the subject. 

  
“Hey now, let’s not speculate. The woman deserves her privacy.” She said as she waved on the topic. “But enough about that. What do you guys wanna do now?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Congrats for surviving that brief moment with champ. I hope you guys didn't get completely grossed out like I did writing that part. Not my favorite thing in the world to write but I gotta throw in some curve-balls!
> 
> Who is the red-head Waverly can't take her eyes off of? Why is she so captivated by her? What's this new feeling she's experiencing? Will Champ make another appearance? Hmmm, I don't know but you might find out next chapter. It's about to get really good. ;)
> 
> Come at me on Twitter if you'd like


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! I am so sorry its taken me so long to get this chapter out. Life has hit me a little hard lately and so my mind and time has be preoccupied. Thank you for being patient with me. This chapter was written with extra TLC and love and hope you all enjoy it!
> 
> Huge thank you and lots of love to my stellar betas @sleepytimgrl & @nrcda88. You both are gems and I appreciate you both and you guys putting up with all my nonsense and terrible English. 
> 
> **NOTE: POV is Waverly's but almost halfway through the chapter POV changes to Nicole's for a brief moment. It shouldn't cause any problems, and still reads well. This is just for the reader's knowledge going forward.

The group hung out in the ballroom until a little after 10pm. Robin got called in by management to help the rest of the staff unload produce and so they all decided to call it a night. While Chrissy and Jeremy decided to head to bed so they could be well rested for the next day and sleep off the rest of the alcohol, Waverly chose to walk around outside for a bit. She wasn’t ready to go to her home away from home and with everything she was feeling, she was hoping the fresh air would do her some good.   
  
As she strolled along the winding pathways, she let her mind wander to the beautiful redheaded dancer from tonight. She didn’t understand what was going on with her and how someone she’s never met before could make her feel like her stomach was in her throat. Images of the woman flooded her mind and like clockwork, that uneasy warm feeling came back again. She began dissecting what she was feeling, aiming to make some sense of it all. Waverly went through every plausible reason as to why she felt the way she did. She came up with a few rationalizations: 

  1. She was probably more captivated by the dancing than the actual dancer.
  2. She consumed alcohol and that more than likely clouded her sane judgement. 
  3. The atmosphere combined with the drinking, possibly heightened and influenced her emotions. 
  4. If she had first seen the woman in a different setting, she probably wouldn’t have given her a second glance. 

  
When she was done going over all the rational explanations in her mind, she attributed it all to just being under the influence, the atmosphere and the dancing; the combo being a lot to handle at one time. She continued along the walkways that went all over the resort’s property, making sure to only go where it was lit so she wouldn’t get lost or put herself at risk of being in danger from the elements of the surrounding forest. She would occasionally pass by some other nighttime strollers and they would exchange a friendly nod, wave or smile. With no destination in mind, she aimlessly walked along, embracing the cool night air, trying to no longer think about the mysterious woman with the dimpled smile.

  
She must’ve walked further than she thought because she came upon a sign that said “STAFF QUARTERS. NO GUESTS PLEASE”. She thought about it for a moment and instead of turning around, she continued on her way. She followed the route up a hill, not really concerned with anyone finding her there. As she pressed on, she started to hear what sounded like music coming from off in the distance. She followed the sound up the trail and that’s when she saw the top half of a large semi worn-down cabin come into view through the surrounding trees. She could see dim lights and shadows moving through the windows. As she got closer and closer, the more the music roared, but what could be heard the most was the booming bass.   
  
Waverly paused when she came across a small white bridge that led to stairs going up an even steeper hill. She leaned against the railing on her elbows, trying to decide if she was going to continue or turn around and head back before anyone noticed. She thought about it for a few seconds before figuring it was best to head back and just as she was about to turn around and start her descension back to the resort, she heard a familiar voice.   
  
“Waverly?”   
  
“Oh, poop.” she mumbled to herself as she turned around and saw Robin who was holding 3 large jubilee watermelons.   
  
“Hi Robin!” She said giving her best smile and wave.   
  
“Hey. What are you doing? How’d you get here?” He spoke quietly.   
  
“I was taking a walk and it led me here.” She shrugged as she saw him struggling to keep his grip on the large fruit. “Here, let me help you with that.”   
  
She took one of the melons from him and he gave her a friendly smile. “Thanks, but you really shouldn’t be here."

  
“Let me at least help you carry these and then I’ll leave.” She protested as she half lifted the watermelon.   
  
“Okay.” He nodded. He was really grateful for the help; in all honesty he didn’t know how much farther he was going to be able to cart the melons alone.   
  
She gave him a kind smile and looked towards the opposite side. “What’s up there anyway?” 

He gave her a wide grin and nodded his head in the direction of the stairs as he started making his way to the other side. “Can you keep a secret?” He asked turning his head to Waverly and she nodded as she followed closely behind him. 

  
*** 

  
When they approached the porch of the cabin, the music was blaring, though it was slightly muffled by the closed double doors. Robin turned around, gave Waverly a wink and pushed the doors open with his backside. He turned back around and they stood in the doorway as Waverly absorbed the sight in front of her. There were people everywhere, mostly in pairs as they danced to ‘Do You Love Me’ by The Contours. 

  
“_Do you love me? (I can really move)_   
_Do you love me? (I'm in the groove)_   
_Now do you love me?_   
_(Do you love me now that I can dance?)_   
_Watch me, now_   
_(Work, work) ah, work it out baby”_   


  
The atmosphere was heavy and thick with sweat, musk and hormones and everyone, for the most part, was wearing light breathable clothing or very little clothing. Tables and chairs lined the walls, making the whole center of the cabin the dance floor. Red lights hung from the ceiling and there were lamps around and some stringed lights on the walls. There was a small bar towards the back wall and a speaker sat in each corner of the room. All of these things gave the cabin an ambiance of being at a frat party or club.   
  
Waverly stood there in a slight state of shock, with her mouth slightly agape, at what she was seeing. The couples were dancing face to face with their bodies pressed together while they grinded on one another. You could see people going low to the floor and back up again as they admired their partners bodies, wrapping their arms around their partners necks, grabbing and squeezing asses and trying to be as physically close as possible. Some of the women rested on their partners hips as they both rolled and moved their bodies to the music. Some of the women would occasionally bend their upper bodies as far back as they could, while their partners held them by the waist to keep them from falling, never losing their rhythm with each other.   
  
“Where’d they learn to do that? Waverly finally said, still not sure how to process all of this. Purgatory was a small town and you didn’t see much of this kind of stuff there. Sure, Waverly had seen it in movies and music videos but never in person, not even at her high school prom.   
  
“Who knows? Online maybe? Most of them are the other dancers here so that should tell you everything. Wanna give it a try?” He said as he looked at her and gave a little body shake. Waverly shook her head and Robin chuckled.   
  
“Come on. Over here.”   
  
As they were making their way through the sea of people, Waverly followed close behind him, trying to not stare or bump into any of the couples. They just watched her as they continued to dance. Some winked, others gave her a look of not belonging, a few smiled but no one broke their groove. They made it to the bar and Robin set his watermelons in a crate that was off to the side and proceeded to take the one from Waverly, setting it on the countertop behind the bar. They turned around and just watched as everyone was lost in the moment, drinking, dancing and being carefree.   
  
Robin came around, leaned on the side of the bar and yelled over the music. “Can you imagine seeing this kind of dancing in the main ballroom?”   
  
“Not at all.” Waverly responded.   
  
“I think Pax would have a heart attack. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a cool guy and everything but there are just some things he’s not quite comfortable with.”   
  
Just then, the two dancers that performed in the ballroom earlier that evening, came hopping in and were met with loud cheers from the other dancers. The woman in black wasn’t wearing her jacket anymore, the first two buttons of her shirt were undone and her sleeves were rolled up somewhat past her elbows. She handed her jacket off to someone, grabbed the beer from one of her peer's hands and took a lengthy drink from it before passing it back.   
  
She held her partner’s hand as she led her further into the room, dancing in between people along the way. When they got to where she wanted, she gave her partner a quick spin and dip. Now face to face, she grabbed ahold of the brunette’s waist and the pair started dancing in the same manner as everyone else. The woman in the pink dress, began rapidly pumping her leg up and down, moving her hips side to side as she grabbed the skirt of her dress and flicked it back and forth in flirtatious movements.

Feeling the music to her core, Rosita brought her arms and hands up behind her head and ran her fingers through her fallen curly locks. All while the redhead braced her and rolled her hips into her partner’s, matching her pace. As the brunette moved from her spot, her partner, with her feet still planted firmly in place, allowed her torso to gently fall back. The other dancers around her, caught her and held her up. She grinned, lifting her arms and thrusting her pelvis in the air while they bounced her up and down.   
  
With her partner dancing a couple feet in front of her, she stood back up and they instantly resumed their previous position but only for a moment. The petite woman quickly turned around, never breaking the groove they had. The redhead inched closer, placing her hands on the hips in front of her and closing any gap between them. With their bodies pressed against each other, they started to swing their heads from side to side and aggressively rolling them. Once they were done, they threw their upper bodies back and forth, swaying in sync with each other, towards the other dancers as they moved around the open space; the other dancers responding to them by mimicking their motion.   
  
Robin noticed Waverly's attention was focused on the redhead, just like before in the ballroom. It was apparent she was curious about the woman but there was something else there, he just wasn’t sure what it was.   
  
“That’s Nicole Haught.” He said as he pointed to the taller woman. “She’s one of the best dancers Kellerman’s has ever had and the first one to ever have a female dance partner. Originally, Pax told her she had to have a male partner, but after he saw her dance, he told her she could have anything she wanted.”   
  
“Hot?”   
  
“H-a-u-g-h-t.”   
  
“Of course.” Waverly mumbled as she looked at the woman.

“She's kind of a mystery. No one knows much about her, but the ladies seem to love her.”   
  
“Oh? So, she’s...”   
  
But before she could finish Robin cut her off. “Gay?”   
  
Waverly nodded: her interest peaked even more so now.   
  
“Like a Tegan and Sara concert. Robin chuckled. She’s got more swagger in her pinky finger, than most guys do in their whole bodies.” He grabbed a beer from behind the bar and offered Waverly one but she declined.   
  
She slightly tilted her head and crossed her arms. “What about the woman with her?”   
  
“Oh, that’s Rosita Bustillos.” He said as he popped the cap off his bottle and took a drink.   
  
Waverly stood silent as she watched Nicole and Rosita continue to dance. “Wow. They look great together.” She finally said, hypnotized by the pair.   
  
“Yeah. You’d think they were a couple, wouldn’t you?”   
  
“Aren’t they?”   
  
“Nah. Everyone thought they were, but that rumor quickly came to an end when some of the staff saw Nicole with one of the guest’s daughters a couple summer’s ago.”   
  
“Oh.” Waverly was somewhat shocked to find out the two weren’t an item. Considering how they danced and the look she saw them exchange in the ballroom, she was absolutely sure they were together.   
  
The two fell silent as they continued to watch the duo dance.   
  
With Nicole’s leg in between hers, Rosita slid down the side of her partner’s body. Just before she was about to hit the floor, Nicole grabbed her hand and pulled her back up. She quickly released Rosita, letting her fall again before grabbing her with the other hand and bringing her all the way back up her body and leg. Their faces were inches from each other and they looked as if they were about to embrace in a passionate kiss. Instead, Rosita wrapped her arms around Nicole’s neck and the two started rocking together once again. She hopped up and straddled Nicole’s hips as she bent her body as far back as she could while Nicole held her and they rolled their hips in sync.   
  
When Rosita brought herself back up, Nicole lifted her in the air and set her knees on top of her shoulders. As Nicole held her up, Rosita brought her arms and hands up to her neck and played with her hair as she swayed and moved with her partner below. She then began sashaying her dress around, and shimmying. The dancers around them whooped and clapped at the action, especially since Nicole had a front row view of Rosita’s underwear.   
  
After bringing her down, Nicole swiftly dipped the petite woman and the two finished dancing to the song with Nicole appreciating Rosita’s body as she grinded down it, top to bottom. Everyone whooped and hollered when the song was over, giving each other hugs, high fives and fist bumps; all of them giving Nicole and Rosita extra recognition. Not a second later, the whole room exploded with louder cheering when they heard ‘Get Low’ by Lil Jon come on through the speakers and they all erupted into dance again. 

_“Three, six, nine, damn you’re fine_   
_Hoping she can sock it to me one more time_   
_Get low, get low, get low, get low!_   
_To the window, to the wall!”_

  
It was quite the change from the first song to the next but Waverly liked that. It meant that whoever was in charge of the music had a playlist of different genres on it. Even though this wasn’t normally the kind of music Waverly listened to, she recognized the song from being on the radio and in movies. She ended up losing sight of Nicole when the crowd enclosed her and Rosita when the song started so she turned her attention back to Robin.   
  
“This is great.” She said with a smile on her face. Though at first, she was taken aback by this whole scene, after watching Nicole dance the way she did, she came to really enjoy it. She loved how Nicole moved her body and how she knew exactly what do. She also admired how the redhead had a sense of what her partner wanted as well. She was an expert at leading the pair when they danced, that much was clear.   
  
“It really is. What makes it better is that, it’s ours, you know?” Robin said back as he looked at Waverly with happiness in his eyes. “Are you sure you don’t wanna give it a try?” He offered again as he set his beer down.   
  
“Yeah, I’m sure. I’d just look ridiculous.”   
  
“I doubt that but it’s okay, we can just hang some more.” He gave her a sincere smile and put his hand on her shoulder to let her know it really was okay.   
  
When the crowd parted a bit, Waverly instantly spotted Nicole and Rosita dancing again. She was about to look away, because she felt like she had watched the taller woman long enough this evening, when Nicole locked eyes with her. Waverly’s stomach did flips as hazel eyes met brown eyes and she felt like her heart was going to go flying across the room again. Nicole started making her way to Waverly and Robin, dancing and grinding behind some of the other women along the way. When she got to them, she jumped and did a pelvic thrust in Robin’s direction with a smile splashed across her face, displaying her dimples. Robin gave her a playful shove and she shoved him back and they chuckled.   
  
“Who’s this and what’s she doing here?” Nicole questioned Robin.   
  
“Oh, this is Waverly, she’s with me. She came with me.” Robin smiled.   
  
With sweat dripping down her face, Nicole just looked at Waverly for a moment, not sure how she felt about her being here. Before she could say anything else, Waverly nervously blurted out “I carried a watermelon”. Nicole studied Waverly with her eyebrow raised and a smirk on her face. With her eyes still set on Waverly, she licked her lips and nodded. She turned, glanced at Robin one last time and walked away; leaving Waverly standing there, face beet red and utterly embarrassed.   
  
Waverly turned to Robin and said “I carried a watermelon?”. She was mostly saying it to herself as she slapped her forehead. “How lame am I? I just can’t believe that’s all I managed to say.”   
  
Even though he knew she wasn’t exactly talking to him, Robin responded anyway. “You’re not lame. Nicole is intense and she can be pretty intimidating if you don’t know her.” He said reassuring the girl as best as he could.   
  
“You could say that again.” She lightly chuckled as she leaned back against the bar, still completely mortified at what just transpired. She began looking at the crowd again and like a moth to a flame, her eyes found Nicole.   
  
Nicole went back to Rosita and the two started their dancing again. She was getting back into her groove with her partner when she looked over and saw the young girl staring at her again. When their eyes met, Waverly quickly turned away, her face returning to a deep shade of red. Nicole smiled at the sight of the girl’s face getting flushed when she realized she had been caught. She broke from Rosita again and began walking towards her friend and his guest, her eyes focused on Waverly. Instead of approaching Robin his time, Waverly was surprised to see Nicole standing a couple feet in front of her.   
  
She didn’t say anything to the brunette, she just gave her a mischievous smile and motioned with her finger for Waverly to come towards her. When Waverly didn’t move, Nicole closed the space between them, grabbing both of Waverly’s hands and pulling her towards the dance floor. As they looked into each other’s eyes, Waverly followed her, completely unable to stop herself, even if she wanted (which she didn’t). She broke their stare and looked over her shoulder towards Robin and he raised his beer to her, a huge grin all over his face. 

Neither one said a word as Nicole dragged Waverly to the middle of the room. With the music thumping around them, Nicole stopped and looked at Waverly. The more she focused on her, the more she could feel her curiosity rising. This strange girl was utterly ravishing and Nicole was slowly finding herself being drawn to her. They stood there for one more split second, before Nicole put a couple feet between them and started to instruct Waverly on what to do.   
  
“Okay, bend your knees.” Nicole told her and when Waverly barely budged, Nicole pushed down on her shoulders firmly but gently. “Down. Now...” She started rolling her hips and Waverly awkwardly tried to do the same. As they were doing this, Waverly refused to look at the woman in front her and Nicole intently watched Waverly’s hips, making sure she was getting the hang of it.   
  
“Watch. Watch my eyes.” Nicole said to her as she pointed to her own eyes, and Waverly focused on her. With them gazing at each other, Waverly started rolling her hips more naturally and with better ease.   
  
“Good. That’s better.” Nicole smiled at her.   
  
Waverly started to get into the motion, becoming more confident and comfortable with the way her body was moving. The next thing she knew, Nicole was grabbing ahold of her waist and was rolling her hips into hers. It was brief because a split second later, Nicole stepped back. 

“Good. Now roll this way.” Nicole rolled her hips in the opposite direction than before and Waverly followed suit.   
  
“Now, watch.”   
  
Nicole began rolling her hips in one direction and then another, making half circles. Waverly rocked her hips in any way she could, trying to keep up with the woman. Nicole stepped closer and once again rolled her hips in sync with Waverly’s, this time slightly thrusting as she did so. Waverly noticed and thrust back.   
  
Nicole stepped back once more. “Look.” She demonstrated to Waverly just how she was rolling and thrusting at the same time. Waverly tried to do the same and after a second, she was doing it too; though maybe not as well as Nicole.   
  
Nicole watched her and started smiling. “There you go.” She stretched out her arms and rested her hands on Waverly’s hips and at the same time, they got closer to each other.   
  
They were pressed against each other, their bodies moving in a perfect rhythm with one another. They exchanged genuine smiles and Nicole grabbed Waverly’s arms and draped them over her shoulders. Nicole held onto her as she slowed their dancing until they were swaying. She wrapped one of her arms completely behind Waverly and dipped her in a circular motion and brought her back up. She did it again, and then resumed their previous pace.   
  
She was just about to move Waverly’s arms back up to her neck, when the brunette did it herself. Waverly could feel the sweat on the back of Nicole’s neck and hair but she didn’t mind it. She actually found it really attractive and the feeling of Nicole’s sweaty body pressed against her, gave her a throbbing sensation between her legs, something she’d never felt before. She stayed focused on the woman in front her and when Nicole met her eyes, they both gave dopy smiles. Nicole wrapped her arms completely around Waverly’s waist and rocked back and forth, going low and then high again.   
  
They stayed like that for what felt like forever in Waverly’s mind but that came to a rapid end when the music ended and Nicole pulled away. She gave Waverly a small twirl and then walked away. When Waverly stopped spinning, she rocked on her feet as she tried to regain her balance. She looked around for Nicole but didn’t see her so she made her way back to Robin.   
  
“Wow. That was umm....” She gulped as she reached for Robin’s drink and took a large swig.   
  
“Haught?” Robin said finishing her sentence as he gave a wide smirk.   
  
She smiled back. “No...well, yes, but I was gonna say fun.” She took a small sip of the beer he had been nursing since they arrived.   
  
“It looked like you guys were having fun. You both looked really comfortable with each other.”   
  
“Yeah?” She asked, kind of surprised by his statement.   
  
“Oh yeah. It appeared very natural, like that was something you guys do all the time. Which by the way, she usually only looks that way when she’s dancing with Rosie. It would appear you’ve got the magic touch.” He winked at her   
  
Waverly instantly started blushing and she hated that. It would appear she had something alright, though she wasn’t sure if she wanted to admit it. Admitting it would make it real and that absolutely scared the shit out of Waverly. She wasn’t ready for that so she shook her head and swiftly dismissed Robin’s comment.   
  
“Nah, that’s just good acting. It would appear cheerleading was good for something, though.”   
  
“Sure, whatever you say and yes, I fully agree. So, hey here’s to you and the wonders of cheerleading.” He said as he grabbed the beer from Waverly’s hand, raised it and took a drink. Even though he didn’t believe her at all, he didn’t push Waverly when it came to the redhead. He recognized the journey she was on and knew she would come to terms with it in her own time.   
  
They stayed for another 30 minutes and then Waverly told Robin she needed to head back before it got much later and her family noticed she wasn’t there. Robin accompanied her back to her cabin to make sure she got there safely. They talked about the night’s events as they walked along and laughed about her watermelon comment. It definitely felt like a shorter walk going than coming because before too long, they were standing in front of the cabin.   
  
“This is me. Thanks a lot, Robin. For tonight. I needed it.” She said softly as she smiled.   
  
He smiled back. “No, thank you for helping me with those melons.”   
  
“Is that offer to take me out on a hike still good?”   
  
“Yeah, absolutely. When I have free time, I’ll text you and we can set something up.”   
  
“Sounds good. Thanks again. I’ll see you around?” She started making her way up the cabin stairs.   
  
“You’re welcome and yep, I’ll be around. Oh, and Waverly?”   
  
She stopped and turned her head towards the boy. “Yeah?”   
  
“You’re welcome back, anytime, okay?” He gave her a sincere smile and wink before turning around.   
  
“Okay.” She smiled back. 

“Anyway, night.” Robin said as he raised his hand over his head and waved and started his trek back to the staff quarters.   
  
“Night.”   
  
Waverly quietly made her way inside and up to bed. When she entered the room, Wynonna was already passed out in the bed next to hers. She got undressed, into her pajamas and crawled into bed. She laid there, her mind beginning to swim with thoughts of Nicole. She was disappointed she didn’t see the redhead anymore after their dance together but it made the choice to head home that much easier. With Robin’s open invitation, it definitely gave Waverly hope that, that wouldn’t be the last time she’d be seeing Nicole in a personal setting.   
  
The thought of them possibly dancing again, the way they did tonight, made her pulse race and her body temperature rise. She imagined running her hands through Nicole’s damp red locks as they danced and that made her whole-body quiver with arousal. The way they looked at each other as they moved their bodies in sync, Waverly wondered if Nicole felt something too. However, she knew if she wanted to get some decent sleep tonight, she needed to not be thinking about Nicole. She shook the thoughts out of her mind and after some odd minutes, she was peacefully asleep with a small smile on her face. 

  
*** 

Waverly can feel the warm sand between her toes as she walks with Wynonna and Chrissy on the man-made beach in front of the lake. They are canvassing the area, looking for a place to settle down as they plan to spend the whole day at the lake, soaking up the sun and having fun. They spot three lounge chairs next to each other, not quite in the middle of the beach and they make a run for it. Wynonna takes the first seat, Waverly the middle and Chrissy on the other end. They drape their towels over the backs and Waverly pulls out the sunscreen from her beach bag and the girls apply it generously over their bodies; each helping one another with their backs.   
  
Waverly is wearing a cute colorful floral print bikini, Wynonna a black bikini and Chrissy a burgundy bikini with white polka dots. All three girls have their hair up and sunglasses on. There were some canopies off to the sides, behind the beach that housed some smaller activities. One was for trying on wigs, another for makeup, and there was one for the kids to get their faces painted. Waverly has every intention of visiting the hair and makeup tents later. After they finish putting on sunscreen, they all agree to sunbathe for a bit before hitting the water.   
  
“So, you got in late last night.” Wynonna popped off to Waverly. She had her eyes closed as she soaked up the sun’s vitamin D.   
  
“What? N-no I didn’t. You were already passed out when I got in, so how would you know anyway? You probably had too much to drink last night.” Waverly said back, looking at her sister expressionless.   
  
“Waves!! You bad girl!” Chrissy said gasping.   
  
“Waverly, I might have been drunk, but I’m not stupid. I didn’t get back to the cabin until after midnight and you weren’t there.”   
  
Waverly looked away. “Oh.”   
  
“So, where were you and what were you doing?” Wynonna asked.   
  
“Or Who were you doing?” Chrissy added while she gave a sly smirk and moved her eyebrows up and down.   
  
“Oh, shit. For the love of JC, please tell me it wasn’t that washed up rodeo clown from before?” Wynonna whined as she lifted her head. “I told you to stay away from him.” She said in a serious tone as she looked at her sister.   
  
“Jeez, thanks for the load of confidence guys!” Waverly expressed while throwing her arms ups. “No, I wasn’t with Champ.”   
  
“Good. Then who were you with?” Wynonna questioned.   
  
“And what were you two doing?” Chrissy chimed in her face still plastered with that smirk.   
  
“I was with Robin. I went for a walk after the bash last night and I bumped into him.   
  
Wynonna pressed further. “And?”   
  
“Jesus, Wynonna. What am I? On trial or something? We just hung out and talked. That’s it, nothing else happened and it never will.” Waverly said, her voiced laced with irritation and annoyance.   
  
Wynonna sat up and swung her legs over the chair to face her sister. She took the sunglass off her face so Waverly could see her eyes. “Hey, I’m sorry, Waves. I know you’re all grown up and you can take care of yourself, but you’re always gonna be my baby sister. I’m always gonna be looking out for you. I love you, Babygirl. I just want to know you’re safe and with the right people.”   
  
Waverly was looking at Wynonna and she knew her sister had good intentions. She didn’t always like her sister’s overprotectiveness but after what happened to their older sister Willa, she couldn’t blame her. “I know. I just don’t need to be grilled, okay?”   
  
“Okay and isn’t this the part where you say you love me too?” Wynonna said with a childish smile.   
  
“You know, you’re awfully needy for a lone wolf.” She said back. “I love you too.” She gave her sister a loving smile.   
  
Wynonna put back on her shades and laid back in the lounger again. “Also, sorry about the Robin thing.”   
  
“What? Oh! No, it’s not like that. He’s....unicorn alert...” Waverly said with her finger raised to her forehead to represent the horn of the mythical creature.   
  
Wynonna just looked at her. “Come again?”   
  
“He bats for the other team.” Chrissy added.   
  
“Oh! I knew there was something about forrest boy that I liked.” Wynonna retorted. “Well maybe him and the jagged little nerd will get together.”   
  
Waverly and Chrissy chuckled at what Wynonna referred to Jeremy as, but agreed they would be a cute couple.   
  
“What about you, by the way? Where were you last night? Waverly asked her sister with her brow raised and her arms crossed.   
  
“Now now, Wave. Don’t be nosy.” Wynonna sarcastically responded. She looked over at her sister who looked like she was about to smack her. “I was at the little bar near the edge of town with Mercedes and Dolls. Don’t get your panties in a twist.” She said with her hands raised in surrender.   
  
“Wait, they let you in the bar? Isn’t the legal drinking age here 21?” Chrissy asked.   
  
“Yeah but Mercedes is like super rich and her father knows the guy who owns the bar. He actually invested in it so he’s part owner or some shit, so we got in. Plus, according to them, since the bar isn’t directly in town, they don’t exactly have to follow all the laws.” Wynonna shrugged.   
  
Waverly quickly shut down her sister’s statement. “Wynonna, they still have to obey the law.”   
  
“Apparently not if you’re a Gardner. Whatever her dad does, let’s just say, the man’s got power. Anyway, point is, that’s where I was.” Wynonna brushed it off.   
  
“Well, just be careful okay, Wy? Don’t need you getting into trouble on this trip.” Waverly said.   
  
“I know and I am. I promise.” Wynonna spoke with absolute certainty to hopefully put any fear or worry Waverly might have at ease. “Also, the bartender was really hot.” She made a purring sound and the two younger girls rolled their eyes.   
  
They basked in the sun for a little while longer before Wynonna suggested they should get in the water. Wynonna and Chrissy look at each other with mischievous smiles and not a moment later, they flung their sunglasses off and ran towards the lake. Waverly grabbed their sunglasses and put them with hers on her chair. Instead of following her sister and best friend, she went up towards the tents just to see the beauty products and wigs before getting in the water. She went to the tent with wigs and looked around. The curiosity of what she would look like with different color hair pulling her in. She sat down in one of the chairs next to another woman and grabbed a black short haired wig with bangs off the table.   
  
She brushed her hair and attempted to put it on but was having issues with it, when an unfamiliar voice came from behind her.   
  
“Here, let me help you with that.”   
  
Waverly turned around and was a little shocked to see it was Rosita. She was in charge of the cabana with the wigs during the day since she had no dance classes until the evening.   
  
“Oh, thanks.” Waverly offered a smile and the woman returned it.   
  
After some fiddling around, they got it on and to Waverly’s pleasant surprise, she didn‘t look half bad.   
  
“There we go. Hey, you look good! I think it kinda suits you.” Rosita said   
  
“Really? Thanks.” Waverly responded. “By the way, you’re a fabulous dancer. I recognize you from the Summer bash.” She took off the wig and placed it back on the mannequin head and brushed out her hair.   
  
“No problem, and thank you! That’s very sweet of you.” She gave a heartfelt smile.   
  
“You’re welcome.” Waverly smiled back.   
  
Just then, Nicole came up to the table and Waverly froze. 

  
“Ladies, you look very lovely.” She said with a smile on her face, not paying any attention to Waverly. She whispered something to Rosita and she nodded her head in agreement. Nicole gave her a chaste kiss on her cheek and thanked her. She was about to walk off when she locked eyes with Waverly. She gave her a dimpled smile and proceeded to approach the younger girl.   
  
Waverly suddenly became super aware she was in a bikini and to avoid any more humiliation, she broke their eye contact, turned around and started walking away back to the lake. Nicole stopped dead in her tracks and watched her walk away for a moment before deciding to go after her.   
  
“Hey, Waverly, wait!” Nicole shouted as she ran after her.   
  
Waverly was moving fast and had no intentions of stopping until she was in the water. She was close to where their chairs and things were but stopped and turned around, surprised to hear the redhead calling her name. Nicole came to a stop right in front of her, not even the smallest bit out of the breath. They stared at each other, neither one saying a word and Waverly found herself not sure what to do.   
  
During this time, there were only two things going through Waverly’s mind at that exact moment: Why couldn’t this have happened when she had more clothes on? And why does Nicole look so damn good in anything she wears?   
  
Nicole was wearing a dark green button up shirt with the top buttons undone, a black tank underneath just slightly sticking out up top, black pants, black belt and black shoes. She also had sunglasses on which just made her mysteriousness, even more intriguing to Waverly. She was snapped out of her head when Nicole lifted her sunglasses off her face and set them on top of her vibrant red hair.   
  
“Hey.” She smiled.   
  
“Hey.” Waverly said back; their eyes fixed on each other.   
  
“I realized I was rather rude the other night. I wanted to apologize for not properly introducing myself and for just disappearing after we danced.” Nicole said sincerely.   
  
“Oh, no worries. It’s okay.”   
  
“It’s not and I feel like I should explain.”   
  
“It’s really okay, you don’t have to.” Waverly said.   
  
“Yeah, well, I just wanted you to know it wasn’t personal. I had an early start today and so that’s why I left right after the song was over.” 

Nicole was being truthful in her reasoning for why she ditched but it wasn’t the full reason. If she was being a hundred percent honest, she also partially left because of her dance with Waverly. She could feel herself getting caught up with the girl and that’s something she can’t have. So, she detached as quickly as possible in the hopes of squashing anything that might have been stirring up. It seemed to be going well, until she saw Waverly at the cabana.   
  
“I understand and thanks for letting me know.” Waverly smiled in response. The idea of it being personal had entered her mind that night when she went to bed so it was a sigh a relief to know that wasn’t the case.   
  
“You’re welcome and no, thank you.” She said as she looked into the piercing hazel eyes staring back at her. She felt her heart skip a beat and began to allow herself to get lost looking at Waverly. She quickly reminded herself this cannot happen and so she snapped herself back to reality.   
  
“Anyway, I’m Nicole. Nicole Haught.” She said with her arm stretched in front of her, offering a handshake.   
  
Waverly returned the gesture. “Nice to officially meet you. I’m Waverly Earp.” The truth is, even though Waverly already knew who Nicole was, she appreciated her making the effort to formally introduce herself and she didn’t want to take that from her.   
  
“Nice to officially meet you too, Waverly.”   
  
They stood there in silence with their hands still locked and smiles on their faces. They continued to gaze at each other, both allowing themselves to get lost in the moment and trying to find the hidden messages in each other’s eyes. They were completely unaware of the world around them and it would appear, they were both perfectly fine with that. They stayed that way for what felt like an eternity, until their trance was broken when Wynonna yelled from the water.   
  
“Waves, you coming?!”   
  
They immediately averted their eyes and dropped each other’s hand. “I’ll be right there!” She responded back. She turned her attention back to Nicole. “Sorry about that.”   
  
“No, it’s okay. I gotta get going anyway.” Nicole said placing her sunglasses back on her face. Waverly’s heart fell at the sudden change in Nicole’s demeanor.   
  
“Yeah, okay. Thanks again and it was nice to meet you...again.” Waverly half-heartedly chuckled, feeling unsure about the shift that just happened.   
  
“Anytime, and thanks too.”   
  
Nicole turned and started slowly walking away but quickly turned around. “It was _really_ nice to meet you too. I mean it.” She smiled brightly, exposing her dimples. She turned back around and made her way across the sandy beach.   
  
Waverly stood there watching, with her heart at her feet and her body on fire. She would have stayed in that spot until she couldn’t see Nicole anymore, if it wasn’t for Wynonna.   
  
“WAVERLY EARP! IF YOU DON’T GET YOUR BUTT OVER HERE, I’M GONNA...” But before she could finish Waverly cut her off.   
  
“I’M COMING!” She yelled back playfully rolling her eyes as she jogged to the water joining her sister and best friend.   
  
The moment she started walking into the water, Wynonna and Chrissy splashed her repeatedly. Waverly shrieked at the cold water hitting her body. She turned her head away and tried to block the water from hitting her face.   
  
“What the hell?” Waverly said when they finally stopped, with an unamused expression on her face as she stood there dripping.   
  
“That’s what you get for taking so damn long.” Chrissy responded and Wynonna splashed her sister again. Waverly walked the rest of the way in and immediately splashed her sister and best friend back. The next thing you know, they were all splashing each other and laughing. After they finished, they raced to the water trampoline and started trying to show off their best moves. Wynonna tried to do this one move that she saw on a video online and messed it up. The result ended with a belly flop, to which Waverly and Chrissy guffawed. 

  
***  
  
  
Following the trampoline, they went to jumping off the rope and then jumping off the cliff. They rotated between the three until they were exhausted. When they were done, they went back to their chairs and partially dried off with their towels. They then laid back and finished drying out under the sun.   
  
“How’s the stomach Wynonna?” Chrissy asked.   
  
Wynonna looked down and the huge red mark from earlier was almost fully gone. “It’s fine. Gonna be a little sore but that was bound to happen anyway.”   
  
Waverly and Chrissy looked at her, confusion stretching over their faces.   
  
“Mercedes and I are gonna go back to the bar tonight and if that hot bartender is there again, well, need I say more.” She smirked, bouncing her eyebrows up and down.   
  
“Ew. Gross, Wynonna.” Waverly said and Chrissy agreed.   
  
“Oh, come on. You should be thanking me. I could be much more descriptive.” Wynonna expressed as she started to do a finger-in-a-hole hand gesture.   
  
“Thank you, Wynonna!” Waverly and Chrissy shouted.

  
“You’re welcome.” She sarcastically replied back to the younger girls.   
  
“Oh, Waverly, was that the dancer from last night talking to you earlier?” Chrissy asked Waverly.   
  
“H-huh? W-w-what?” Waverly stuttered as she was caught off guard by her best friend’s question.   
  
“From the ballroom? She danced the mambo with that other woman, right?” Chrissy clarified. 

“Oh, yeah. That was her.” Waverly stated in a very matter of fact tone.   
  
“I thought so!” Chrissy exclaimed. “So, what did she want?”   
  
“Oh, she wanted to apologize for not introducing herself last night when Robin and I ran into her during our walk. She spoke to him briefly about work and that was it. We didn’t speak so she felt bad for being rude.” Waverly said, trying to sound as convincing as possible. It wasn’t exactly a lie but it wasn’t the truth either.   
  
“Gotcha. Well, that was nice of her.” Chrissy smiled.   
  
Wynonna just stared at her sister, unsure of what to make of the way she was acting. Maybe Waverly was just tired from their day she thought to herself. Instead of doing what she did earlier and asking Waverly a bunch of questions, she just let it go. She knew if there is something going on, Waverly would talk to her about it when she’s ready. Of course, this is Wynonna and she just wanted to know one thing.   
  
“Just one question, Waves.” Wynonna chimed in.   
  
“Okay....go for it.” Waverly hesitantly said. With Wynonna this could mean anything and Waverly wasn’t sure if she wanted to answer the question her sister had.   
  
“Does the ginger have a name?” She smiled as she looked away.   
  
Waverly quietly let out a small sigh of relief. She was relieved that her sister wasn’t going to pry like she did earlier with Robin. This question she could handle. Attempting to suppress the wide smile trying to leave her lips, she spoke.   
  
“Her name is Nicole.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are getting spicy! Now that Waverly knows who the intriguing redhead is will she be able to keep her distance? Does Nicole feel something too? Does this nip Champs chances in the bud? Who knows. I guess you'll have to wait and find out!
> 
> Come at me on twitter if you feel the need!


End file.
